PEARL MACKIE has been officially revealed as the new Doctor Who companion, Bill, after becoming the overwhelming frontrunner over the last 24 hours.

The little-known actress was announced as Jenna Coleman’s replacement during the half time break of the FA Cup semi-final clash between Manchester United and Everton after speculation reached fever pitch.

She said: "I'm incredibly excited to be joining the Doctor Who family. It's such an extraordinary British institution, I couldn't be prouder to call the Tardis my home.

"Peter Capaldi is such a brilliant actor, and his Doctor is such a wacky and wonderful character, I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for him and Bill throughout time and space."

Capaldi added: "It is a genuine delight to welcome Pearl Mackie to Doctor Who. A fine, fine actress with a wonderful zest and charm, she's a refreshing addition to the Tardis and will bring a universe of exciting new possibilities to The Doctor's adventures."

Pearl, who is currently appearing on-stage in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, had her odds cut to 1/2 by Betfair in the run-up to the news, overtaking Ingrid Oliver (who has previously played Petronella Osgood on the show) and Georgina Campbell.

What’s more, it had been noticed that she recently followed predecessors Freema Agyeman and Jenna on Twitter, one after the other, and was photographed with Peter Capaldi just weeks ago when he stopped by the Gielgud Theatre to watch her in action.

The Curious Incident’s official account posted a group photo with the caption: “The tardis stopped by the Gielgud Theatre this afternoon and look who came to watch the show...Mr Peter Capaldi!”

The production is currently booking until January 2017, meaning Pearl will presumably have to leave the cast earlier than planned in order to shoot scenes for the programme.

The actress, who hails from south London, seems to have the endorsement of many Doctor Who fans online, with one tweeting: “I'm 100% down with it being pearl mackie omg.”

“I like the idea of Pearl Mackie, she seems interesting. I haven't seen her in anything though,” wrote another.

TWITTER • CURIOUS INCIDENT

She and the rest of the show's cast recently met Peter Capaldi

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